Hospital Accreditation and Quality of Healthcare Guide for Consumer

Introduction

Quality care is something every patient should seek. When you enter a healthcare facility, you should feel secure in the knowledge that you are entrusting your life in safe hands. This is especially relevant to healthcare providers who come into daily contact with the patient. However, quality transcends to much more than just medical care—you should also be ensured safety and security within the hospital, and be aware of your rights as a patient so that you receive nothing but the ultimate in care. 

When it comes to implementing quality care within a facility, look no further than an accredited hospital. All facilities that have been bestowed either governmental or international accreditation comply with stringent quality requirements. A medical tourist can be certain that upon stepping foot into an accredited hospital/clinic you are going to receive the best possible medical care. Accreditation certainly equates to good quality care, however this chapter will also help tourists that are not seeking care at an accredited facility to evaluate an establishment’s level of quality.

What is Hospital accreditation?

According to the Joint Commission International, one of the most respected accreditation bodies, to implement international quality standards around the world you should define ‘accreditation’ as “a process in which an entity, separate and distinct from the healthcare organization, usually nongovernmental, assesses the healthcare organization to determine if it meets a set of requirements (standards) designed to improve the safety and quality of care”.

The international accreditation process is mostly a management decision (not necessarily health government’s mandate) by the healthcare facility to demonstrate to its patients that they are complying with the highest standards of quality, based on international and stringent criterion. It is not necessarily mandatory for any healthcare organization to seek such accreditation.

The fact that a healthcare facility has gone through the rigorous preparations in order to be bestowed with a stamp of accreditation proves that they are making a commitment to patient safety and care.

They are aiming to ensure a safe and caring environment for their patients, supplying their doctors with the highest quality training and resources to provide the utmost medical care to their patients. Hospitals and clinics who implement these high standards of quality are endlessly looking for opportunities to improve their facilities. They develop continuous improvement programs for their staff, and utilize all patient evaluation data in bettering the organization.

Benefits of an accredited hospital

The process of accreditation scrutinizes every possible detail of a hospital to ensure full standards of quality are implemented. This goes for all medical and non-medical related items. The purpose of this process is so patients are guaranteed a safe, hygienic and high quality facility to seek medical care from.

Accredited hospitals provide the obvious benefit of high quality care for the patient. What most people do not know is that they also have advantages for the general public, and for the physicians working within the organization too. 

An accredited hospital improves public trust

By voluntarily signing up to undergo the scrutinizing procedure of receiving an accreditation, the facility is demonstrating to the public and potential consumers their commitment to quality. Demonstrating their willingness to implement standards that are based around the utmost patient safety and high level of quality care establishes trust within the community.  They then become the prime facilities for patients to seek care from as individuals feel secure about entrusting their life there.



Accreditation Provides an environment that enhances provider satisfaction

Healthcare providers are clearly an essential component of the success and quality of a hospital. If they are unsatisfied within their positions, they are likely to not provide customer satisfaction to the highest level which would in turn affect the quality of care provided. This is why an accredited organization complying with strict quality standards appeals not only to patients but to the providers as well.

Healthcare professionals being hired by an accredited organization take great pride in knowing that the company they are working for is investing a lot of time and money in their training and education. Also, the facilities are concerned about the fundamental reason they became a provider in the first place—delivering high quality care to patients who need it.

Satisfied healthcare providers = satisfied customers.



Accreditation Provides an environment that enhances provider satisfaction

Healthcare providers are clearly an essential component of the success and quality of a hospital. If they are unsatisfied within their positions, they are likely to not provide customer satisfaction to the highest level which would in turn affect the quality of care provided. This is why an accredited organization complying with strict quality standards appeals not only to patients but to the providers as well.

Healthcare professionals being hired by an accredited organization take great pride in knowing that the company they are working for is investing a lot of time and money in their training and education. Also, the facilities are concerned about the fundamental reason they became a provider in the first place—delivering high quality care to patients who need it.

Satisfied healthcare providers = satisfied customers.



Hospital Accreditation provides transparent and clear data to patients

The outcome of various treatments within a hospital or clinic is information that should be shared with the public. Usually, healthcare facilities are worried about their reputation and do not want to disclose any information that might put their organization in a negative light. However, accredited organizations can easily provide all the information a patient would require because they are complying with all the safety and quality standards required of a superior facility.

The data made available to the public can help patients differentiate between hospitals that are able to retain a high success rate and those that can’t. This is an essential factor in the patient’s decision of where to seek care, and this could potentially affect your entire life. The data provided by the accredited hospitals should act as benchmark figures that you can use when comparing hospitals (abroad and locally). The information can also be used as a guideline for other facilities who want to try and improve their services.